


doorway back home

by hippopotamus



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Doctor Who Fusion, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-01-31 07:38:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12677376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hippopotamus/pseuds/hippopotamus
Summary: It gets lonely in space with a broken time machine.Isak can't get home, but his ship seems to decide that if he can't get back home, it will have to bring home back to him.A doctor who inspired au (you don't need to have watched it to understand)





	1. part 1: tooth fairy

**Author's Note:**

> i have been watching far too much doctor who recently so this happened  
> its loosely based off the ep the girl in the fireplace, but minus the sadness and minus clockwork droids  
> huge thank u to the peeps in fwn and skamfiction for helpin me with ideas and stuff, and even huger thanks to the lovely caroline for reading this through :D and also for inspiring me with fairy!isak  
> hope u enjoy!!

 

It gets lonely, up in space.

The vast expanse of the universe seemed so tempting to run away into; he wanted to learn the names of all the stars, he wanted to watch black holes destroy everything and he wanted to watch galaxies rebuild it all from dust and gravity. Isak Valtersen wanted to see it all.

But it gets lonely.

And he almost has seen it all, now. Or, not all. Not _nearly_ all. But he’s seen enough, and he’s ready to go home - but his ship is stranded, halfway between two galaxies, 3.2 light years away from the nearest star and, if his calculations are correct (which they always are) 7.8 light years away from the nearest inhabited planet.

He’s ready to go home, but home is thousands of lightyears away.

Thousands of _years_ , too. The year now is 5665. He left _home_ back in 2020, and ran away in a time machine - a time machine with no crew, where there’s meant to be five. He manages, of course. Up until now he’s travelled the whole universe by himself with no problems. Emphasis on _up until now._

He’s broken down, which he didn’t actually think was possible, considering how his ship actually works - powered by an actual star that burns deep in the heart of the ship - and stars don’t just _break down._

Clearly they do, since his ship isn’t going anywhere. He’s flicked every switch, pressed every button, activated every control he can, and still his ship just… stays where it is.

So maybe he never exactly learnt how to fly this thing. It wasn’t exactly like he had many options. It’s not everyday you find a time machine that actually asks you to fly away in it, and promises to show you the stars. But then, maybe that’s why it’s broken down, now of all times. It doesn’t want him to go home.

He gives one last frustrated kick to the console before he goes to check the ship’s information centre for a manual of some sort (he should have looked for that before he flew away in this thing, only it never seemed necessary. The ship flew itself. Took him to see the universe. That was what he cared about, seeing the stars, so he let the ship take him where it wants to, and if it’s refusing to take him home, there’s probably not a whole lot he can do about it.)

No harm trying, he supposes - but he never makes it out of the control room, because when he turns towards the door out of the room, there’s - _another door_.

But it’s not one of the ship’s doors, though. It’s not an automated exit hatch with a pinging noise whenever it opens that always remind him of an elevator. and key card slots that Isak never has to use, because he doesn’t have a key card. No, it’s a door from Earth, one that he’s never seen there before, one that looks similar to his own bedroom door at home (but he quickly establishes that it’s not his door. There was a crack running down his door on both sides, from when he punched it.)

Contrary to any piece of advice he’s ever received (or given, in fact) he tries the door.

And it opens.

He’s never been one for following advice. The phrase “never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain” still rings through his head when he remembers he’s alone in space inside a spaceship with a mind of its own, and he just accepts it.

With that in mind, he pushes the door fully open, and steps through into darkness.

Almost immediately a light flickers on, and he knows where he is - he’s on _Earth_. He’s _home_. Maybe his ship listened to him after all.

But he’s not _home_ home. This isn’t _his_ home, it’s a kid’s room, god knows which city, _country,_ even. And said kid is waking up, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and jumping to his feet with a torch that’s not turned on clutched in his right hand held out towards Isak like a weapon.

Isak braces himself for the torch to be thrown at him and the child to scream out for his mother, neither of which happen. Instead, the kid lowers the torch, and speaks.

“Are you the tooth fairy?” the kid asks him, face lighting up.

“Uh,” he looks so hopeful, Isak doesn’t want to ruin that. “Yep!” he says cheerfully. “But I, uh, hit my head on my way here.” He fakes stumbling, then ‘falls’ and sits cross legged on the kid’s floor. “So if you could tell me exactly when and where I am that would be just great.”

The kid crosses his arms and pouts. “You’re meant to give me money,” he tells Isak, and digs under his pillow for a moment before holding out a tooth. “Look, see! It just came out. I’m not lying.”

“I’m sure you’re not, kid.”

“I’m not a kid! I’m six and a half years old, and my name is Even.”

“Even,” Isak says. “The problem is, when I hit my head I also lost all of my money.”

“So?” Even says. “You’re the tooth fairy. You can just make more.”

“Uh,” _god, this kid is really something_. “Sure I can! Give me a minute.”

He checks his pockets, knowing he has no money, but hoping that he might find something that he can give the kid, and eventually finds something suitable. It’s a little gemstone from one of the planets he’s visited, perfectly round and vivid blue in colour. It almost looks like glass, but isak knows that if you shake it, sparks like fireworks in the night sky appear in the middle.

He holds it out to Even. “Here. Tooth fairy exclusive. It’s only for the really good kids.”

Even moves forward and takes it hesitantly, and holds it in his palm for a minute, squinting his eyes at it. “What does it _do_?”

“Shake it,” Isak tells him, and Even does, eyes getting wider as he sees the fireworks that ignite within the stone.

“Woah,” he says. “Thanks, mister tooth fairy!”

Isak can’t help the lopsided smile from spreading across his face. “My name’s actually Isak.”

Even looks at him strangely. “I didn’t know the tooth fairy had a name.”

“And yet here I am.”

Even scowls. “I don’t like you. You’re weird.”

“Well, I’ll be out of your hair as soon as you tell me what year it is and where I am.”

“Um,” Even frowns. “We’re in Oslo, Norway, and it’s 2003.”

Isak chokes on air.

Somewhere outside of this room, less than a few miles away, there’s a four year old version of himself.

He’s probably fast asleep, judging by the dark he can see through the window, probably dreaming of travelling the universe one day, of visiting the stars. Isak almost wants to go and tell himself that one day he will. But he knows how dangerous it can be to cross his own timeline, and he needs to get out of here, and fast.

“Well, Even,” he starts to talk rapidly as he leaps to his feet, pacing backwards slowly as if Even himself with his torch weapon is the threat. “It was nice to meet you. I have to go now, and please don’t try and follow me.”

His hand reaches the door handle, and with a tentative push, hoping with all he has that the link to his ship is still open, the door cracks open and he falls backwards into his ship.

With a huge sigh of relief, he stands, making sure the door is shut behind him, and moves towards the ship’s console to try and run scans on the door. To his delight, that part of his ship is in full working order (so why isn’t it _moving_?) and he discovers that the door is sealed now, nothing can get back through from the other side, although the link is still there, closed but active, somehow.

No four year old versions of himself are going to find their way onto his ship, nor are any other Norwegian kids who think he’s a tooth fairy, and Isak thinks that’s what matters for now.

He slumps down into a chair, running a hand through his hair and wondering what the hell he can do now. Absent mindedly he flicks some controls on the panel on and off, trying to startle the ship into action, but to no avail.

Should he destroy the door? Burn it or take an axe to it? Would that destroy the link or just leave it wide open for anyone to walk onto his ship?

He’s still considering what he can do about the door five minutes later, when he hears a voice floating through it.

“Hey, mister Isak-tooth-fairy?” Even calls out. “I lost another tooth. Aren’t you gonna come and give me money? Or something cool, like last time?”

 _Demanding_ , thinks Isak, before reality catches up to him and he realises that _Even is talking through the door._ And if he’s talking through the door, that probably means he can walk through the door.

Isak doesn’t want a six year old on a broken down spaceship.

Even knocks on the door now, getting ever more insistent. “Tooth fairy Isak! I know you’re there, the door’s glowing, and my tooth came out.”

The door is _what_?

Isak dives towards the door as the handle twists, and holds it shut. It rattles against him, but thankfully a six year old is no match for Isak, and the door remains firmly closed. With a glance to the scanner on the control panel, he sees that the link has switched from "ACTIVE, CLOSED" to "ACTIVE, OPEN" which is definitely not ideal.

“Isak!” Even exclaims. “Let me in!”

It’s pretty hard to think fast when there’s a six year old yelling in your ear, but Isak somehow manages it. He needs something to make the kid go away, to leave the door alone. Next to him, just within arms reach, is something else he can give Even to distract him from entering. It’s a little musical instrument that sings when the person nearest to it is sad, and Isak figures that this works as something to give Even for losing a tooth.

He enters Even’s room in one swift movement, startling the child backwards and shutting the door firmly behind him to prevent any escapees into his ship.

“How can you lose two teeth in the space of five min-” he starts, then stops abruptly as he takes in the room he’s walked into.

It’s the same room as five minutes ago, but it’s changed far too much for it to have been five minutes. Even himself has changed; Isak’s pretty sure his hair is longer, and he’s wearing pyjamas that now have little aliens on them, instead of the dinosaurs that were there before (Isak wants to tell the kid that none of his pyjamas are realistic. He probably has some somewhere that have five point stars on them, as if that’s what stars actually look like).

“Not five minutes, then,” he mutters to himself, mind working through the possibilities.

“Five minutes?” Even asks, incredulous. “It’s been seven _months_.”

Isak can’t help the eyebrow that jumps up in shock at Even’s remark.

“Don’t tooth fairies have clocks?” Even says, crossing his arms. “First you have no money, and now no _clocks_ ,” Even sighs. “I bet you didn’t even bring me anything for losing my tooth.”

“I did too!” Isak says, before realising that he’s engaging in a petty argument with a _six year old_ , and he’s not even the real tooth fairy. “Here,” he sighs, holding out the little instrument to Even.

Even sighs as well. “I can’t buy chocolate with this either!” he protests. “What does this one do?”

“It sings to you when you’re sad,” explains Isak.

“I’m never sad,” says Even.

“What about when the tooth fairy comes and doesn’t leave you anything?”

Even’s face falls, and, on cue, the instrument starts to play. The noise it produces is sweet, almost mournful, a low wavering note that rarely changes pitch. It puts warmth in Isak’s heart, and Even’s too, if the fact that it stops almost immediately is any indication.

Isak’s heard it before. It loses its effect eventually, if he’s being honest, but still, in rare moments, he comes close enough to the instrument to hear it, and it settles him. Feels like the warm embrace he never had from a mother who never really acknowledged him.

“I want it to play _more_ ,” Even demands, flopping down onto the beanbag in the corner of his room and lifting the instrument to stare at it intently, as if to figure out how it works.

“No you don’t,” Isak tells him.

“Yes I _do,”_ Even says, and Isak sighs and gives in.

He takes the instrument from Even, lets it sit in his palm, and thinks of home _._


	2. part 2: imaginary friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is rlly fast dont expect it to be this quick between chapters every time lmao

Even falls asleep on the beanbag to the sound of the music. Very carefully, Isak stands, places the instrument on the edge of Even’s desk, then turns back to the sleeping boy. 

He looks too peaceful to move, almost lying down where he’s sunk into the bean bag. Isak pulls the covers from Even’s bed and settles them over him, tucking them round him to make sure he won’t get cold. 

He leaves silently, with a smile and a wave of fondness for this demanding little kid.

*

In the few hours that follow, Even ages three years. Isak barely gets to stay in his ship for five minutes at a time before the scanner tells him the link is “ACTIVE, OPEN” and Even is calling him back. At first he simply demands for Isak to come out because he’s lost another tooth, and Isak has to think fast and careful about what he can give the kid that’s safe for him. It turns out there’s a lot of random objects on his ship that he can give to an excitable seven year old, things like a little plant that glows when placed in water, and works as a lamp, or a hat, made for a creature much bigger than Even so that it falls down past his ears, that changes colour depending on the weather. 

After a few visits, Even starts to realise he can call Isak whenever he’s bored. He makes Isak play games with him, and even gives Isak a drawing that he did of him (Isak notices that there’s two more of him on the wall, too. He can’t help but be touched.)

This kid, now nine years old, is the first human contact Isak has had in more than a year and a half, and maybe that’s why Isak goes back so often, despite the risk he’s taking being so close to his younger self.

He doesn’t get any closer to discovering what the door  _ is _ , or how exactly it’s appeared on his ship, but it doesn’t seem to be causing any problems. There’s no temporal fluctuations outside the door, nor any gravitational shifts. Everything is as it should be - except for the fact that, well, there’s a magic door, behind which is Earth, and time passes unsteadily there compared to Isak’s ship.  It’s kind of like Narnia, but it’s his home, twelve years before he ran away in a time machine. And when he goes through the door the time runs parallel. He’s timed it. If he’s in Even’s room for five minutes, five minutes pass on his ship, too. But if he’s out of Even’s room for five minutes, it’s more like five months pass in Even’s room.

Before the last time he goes through the door for a while, he’s back on his ship for barely two minutes when he hears more noise through it - but this time it’s not Even calling him. This time it’s Even crying and the sound of the little instrument Isak gave him playing its mournful song. Isak’s heart hurts for the kid.

He takes a gentle step towards the door, placing a tentative hand on the handle, before pushing it open.

“Hey, Even,” he calls, smiling gently at the distressed child. “What’s going on?”

Even doesn’t answer at first, just stays still on his bed, snuffling. He gives one final sniff and wipes his eyes on the back of his sleeve, then turns to Isak. “They told me you’re not r-real,” he stutters. “The kids at school said I’m t-too old to have an imaginary friend.”

Isak fights down the urge to indignantly tell Even “I’m not imaginary!” because, as he thinks about it, what else could he be to this kid?

“Those kids are mean,” he tells Even instead. “You’re allowed an imaginary friend if you want one.”

“They said you’re not even a real imaginary friend if you’re not here all the time,” Even says. “You only come sometimes.”

Isak pulls a guilty face. “I’m here now, though,” he says cheerfully pushing a gentle shoulder into Even’s. Even sniffles again, then wriggles away, scowling, and seeming to compose himself before he looks at Isak.

“I don’t want an imaginary friend anymore,” he tells Isak with certainty. “I’m nearly ten years old.”

_ Oh _ . Isak nods, trying not to be surprised, or upset. He’s not going to kick up a fuss about this - why would he? It’s probably for the best, anyway. Being in Oslo in 2006 isn’t safe for him, and he doesn’t know why he’s kept visiting until now. Besides, he needs to fix his ship. It’s been a nice few hours, but he needs to get back to his own life.

He doesn’t say a word to Even as he leaves. The kid watches him go with a scowl on his face, and Isak can’t help the huff of laughter that escapes him as he sees it. He lifts a hand in a cheerful salute, then reenters his ship.

He half expects the door to melt away behind him, now that Even doesn’t want him there anymore, but it stays, the scanner on his ship reading “ACTIVE, CLOSED.” 

He should probably find a way to turn the link inactive, but he’s more desperate to find a way home, and so he turns to the control room door, and goes in search of anything that could help him.

*

He’s knee deep in cables from beneath one of the panels he’s removed from the console when the scanner once again turns from “ACTIVE, CLOSED” to “ACTIVE, OPEN.”

It’s been nearly 24 hours since Even told him he no longer wanted an imaginary friend. He wonders how much time that makes it on the other side of the door. He has yet to work out whether time was passing at a constant rate while he wasn’t there, because Even hadn’t been very good at remembering the date, and Isak hadn’t been very good at asking him for it.

Maybe it’s not Even behind the door anymore. Maybe he’s switched rooms with a family member, or even moved house. Maybe enough time has gone past now that it’s even in Isak’s future. Maybe he can use the link to return home for real.

The possibilities are vast, and kind of terrifying. Isak’s not really sure whether he should go through the door at this point. The best case scenario is that it’s still Even’s room, just a few months after he told him not to come back. If it is, he won’t want Isak to go through. 

Yeah. He’s not going through. It’s a bad idea. 

Well, maybe he’ll just look. Just to check if he can get home through that door.

He pushes the door open slowly, and, as he expected, it was a bad idea.

The door leads to the same room, but it’s changed. there are no longer toys scattered across the floor, nor are there kid’s drawings hanging up on the walls (and no drawings of Isak anymore). Instead, there are several posters, of Star Wars and Nas and various other films and bands, some that Isak has never heard of, but he doesn’t think that means he’s gone past his own timeline. 

His eyes stray towards the desk, scattered with pencils and notebooks and with a laptop that looks kind of old to Isak, but then he’s been in a futuristic spaceship for a year and a half, so maybe that doesn’t mean anything.

On the desk, too, there’s a bowl of water, that Isak at first mistakes for a fish bowl - but there’s no fish inside it. Beside the bowl is the plant that Isak gave Even once, the one that glows when placed in water.

So this is still Even’s room, then. Isak reaches out a hand to lift the plant and dip the end in the water, to test if it still works, and smiles as a soft glow fills the room, illuminating more objects on the desk that he hadn’t noticed - the stone with fireworks inside it, and the instrument that sings when whoever nearest is sad.

He places the plant back down on the desk just as he hears footsteps outside the room, and freezes into place when he knows he should run back to his ship. The door opens, and in comes Even.

He’s grown a lot, must be at least 16 by now, though Isak’s never been a good judge of age, so he could be older than that. Even, too, freezes when he catches sight of Isak, standing up straight and raising an eyebrow.

“I made you up,” is the first thing Even says without greeting, almost sounding as if he’s accusing Isak (which, to be fair, Isak  _ is _ in his room). “You’re not real, I made you up.”

Isak doesn’t know what to say to this. “I, uh - hi?” he tries. 

“What the  _ fuck _ ?” Even has certainly grown up. “You were my imaginary friend! How the fuck are you-“ he flops onto his bed, groaning. “I swear, if it’s the fucking meds,  _ again _ , I’ll kill those fucking doctors.”

“Meds?” Isak can’t help but ask, curious. 

Even rolls his eyes. “Fucking imaginary friends don’t understand shit. I’m on fucking antidepressants, dude. Fucking  _ antidepressants _ because that  _ fucking _ instrument you gave me won’t stop fucking  _ singing _ all the time.”

“I-“  _ I’m sorry? Is that the right thing to say _ ?

“Shit,” Even curses again. “Who the fuck gave me that fucking thing then, if you’re not real?”

“I did,” Isak says, confused. “I’m real.”

Even snorts. “Yeah fucking right. You’re even wearing the same clothes as you always wear.” Isak wants to tell him that that’s not strictly true. It’s only his hoodie that’s the same - but it doesn’t feel like the right time to bring it up. “You’re not real,” Even repeats, and when he continues talking, it’s directed to himself, a stream of angry confused muttering. “who the fuck even invented this fucking thing. all it does is annoy people. I can’t even fucking sleep with it in my room.”

“It’s meant to, uh, cheer you up, I think,” Isak says, and Even looks up at him sharply.

“Well, it fucking doesn’t,” he retorts. “You can’t fucking cure depression, didn’t you know that?”

“I know that,” Isak says quickly, suddenly feeling younger and smaller than Even was the first time he met him. “I didn’t know you - the instrument wasn’t meant-” he lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“Fuck you,” replies Even. “I made you up. Just take the fucking instrument and go.”

Isak doesn’t have much choice but to do as he asks, lifting the instrument gently and placing it in his pocket. He steps backwards quietly, and back to the door. In the moment before he closes it behind him, however, he remembers something, and stops and turns to Even. 

“Um, Even,” he asks carefully. “Can I ask what year it is?”

“What?” Even asks, confused. “Why don’t you know?”

“I just, uh, never mind,” Isak pulls the door behind him,  but before he can shut it completely, Even speaks again. 

“It’s 2012. Everyone’s waiting for the world to end.”

He hears rather than sees Even fall onto his bed, slumping down into his pillows, before he shuts the door and the control panel tells him “ACTIVE, CLOSED.”

  1. Eight years before _his time_.



How long will that be for him? A few hours? His heart thumps in anticipation of being able to get home so soon after so long away. 

Then he stops. Thinks for a moment. Can he really go back to the day he disappeared? Can he reenter life without missing a second when for him it’s been a year and a half?

But then, can he handle missing a year and a half? Will anyone remember him if he’s away for that long?

He only has a few hours to decide.

Then, once again, the scanner reads “ACTIVE, OPEN,” but this time it’s Even that opens the door.


	3. part 3: real

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok im fully aware that this is shit but ive decided to try a new thing where i write what i wanna write and just publish whenever ive written anything that works so this is gonna go badly wrong u have been warned (because i think ive been taking fic writing too seriously and i dont wanna be doing that anymore)  
> also ive changed the plan for this fic so 5 chapters is no longer how long itll be its gonna be longer so.

“What the  _ fuck _ ?”

“ _ Shit _ ,” Isak curses, springing into action and diving towards the door to try and push Even back through. “You can’t be in here, jesus, you have to leave, it’s not safe, please get out.  _ Please _ ,” he says urgently. Despite the last thing he heard from Even, he still cares about the six year old kid who thought he was the tooth fairy, and he doesn’t want him anywhere near this dangerous broken down time machine that keeps Isak trapped in space.

Even ignores him, looking over Isak’s shoulder (he’s almost as tall as Isak now) and trying to step forward. 

“Even, you  _ can’t, _ ” Isak pleads. “Just-“

As soon as Even steps forward and has one foot in Isak’s ship, there’s an almighty lurch, as if the ship has just tipped sideways. Isak is almost thrown to the floor, but stands his ground firmly, and uses the momentum from the sudden shift to push forward and force Even back through to his room, and slamming the door shut behind him - whch thankfully seems to stabilise the ship.

“Jesus,” Isak huffs, slumping against the doorframe and breathing out heavily. As soon as he’s caught his breath he spins on his heel and faces towards the control panel, where he’s always imagined that the ships consciousness is, and gives a fierce glare. “What the fuck was that?” he demands, and looks to the screen to see if an answer will appear.

No such luck. However many switches he flicks or buttons he presses or levers he pulls, the ship gives him no answer except to change to “ACTIVE, CLOSED” - but then almost immediately it switches again. 

This time, Isak is ready for it. As soon as it switches, he dives for the handle and holds it shut tight, ready and waiting to stop Even from trying to enter again, but Even doesn’t try. Instead, Isak hears a quiet voice. 

“Isak?” Even asks. “ I don’t know what the hell is happening here, and i don’t know if you’ll hear me or anything but I just wanted to say I - I’m sorry for yelling at you. Although if you could tell me what’s going on that’d be really nice.”

Isak relaxes slightly, but doesn’t respond.

“Can you just-” Even tries again. “I promise I won’t come through this time. Can you open the door?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Even.”

“I promise I won’t come through,” Even repeats, sounding more urgent this time. “I just want to know what’s going on.”

“That makes two of us,” mutters Isak, then speaks in his normal voice. “Okay, stand back, I’ll come through.”

He waits to hear footsteps moving backwards before pushing the door ever so slightly, and entering through the smallest of gaps. Even stands in the middle of his room, waiting.

“Hey,” Isak says carefully. 

“I’m not gonna yell at you again,” Even says with a nervous smile. “I just want to know what’s happening.”

“Well, I, uh,” Isak nervously pokes his tongue out from between his teeth. “Don’t exactly know.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry,” Isak says. “I just - I’ve been trying to figure it out for a while, I just… haven’t yet. It’s not dangerous, at least. It’s just some kind of spatio-temporal hyperlink.”

“It’s  _ what? _ ”

“Uh,” Isak thinks for a second. “It’s like a, uh, like a magic door?” he tries. 

“Is that why it glows?” 

Isak snaps his head around to look at the door.  _ Glows _ isn’t exactly how he would describe it - it’s more that he can see the light from his brightly lit ship through the edges of the door. But, he supposes, if the door doesn’t usually have that, then yeah, it’s glowing. He turns back to Even and nods. 

“So you’re,” Even hesitates. “You’re real.”

“Yup.”

“And my door is magic.”

“Yup.”

“So you  _ are  _ the tooth fairy after all.”

“Y- no, what the fuck?”

Even snorts. “Then what the fuck happened when I was a kid?”

“Uh,” Isak reaches a hand up to rub at his nose. “The same thing, I guess.”

“But you haven’t aged at all - oh my  _ god,  _ are you a vampire? Is that why you stole my teeth?”

“I didn’t steal your teeth!” Isak protests. “You never even gave me your teeth. You just stole all the shit I gave you without giving me your teeth!” he pauses, realising how that sounded. “Which I didn’t want, by the way!”

Even is clearly holding back laughter at this point. He manages to keep his composure long enough to ask. “So… how old are you?”

“Uh, 22,” Isak answers, confused. 

Even pulls a serious face. “How long have you been 22?”

Isak rolls his eyes, trying to pretend he’s not affected by Even’s dumb joke. “A normal amount of time, Even, jesus christ.”

Both of them give up on holding back eventually, and collapse, Even onto his bed and Isak into the desk chair, holding his hand up to his eyes in a pathetic attempt to calm himself down. 

When he finally does, he looks to the side and sees the little gemstone he gave Even. Absent mindedly he picks it up and shakes it, remembering the sleepless nights he’s had when his only comfort was the sparks that fly in the centre of the blue glass, reminding him of new year’s eve fireworks back home. 

When he looks back to Even, he finds Even staring at him already. 

“Where did you get that?” he asks. “Seriously, where did you get any of it?”

“Around,” Isak shrugs. “Just - found it, I guess.”

“But-“

“I should go back,” says Isak. “I don’t know how long the connection lasts to my - to my house.”

He stands and turns to leave, catching sight of a calendar on the wall that tells him its February 2013. He glances back at Even, then gestures to it. “Is this right?” he asks. 

“Yeah?” Even says, sounding confused. “But-“ he tries again, but once again Isak cuts him off. 

“Cool. See you round.”

With that, he turns, and leaves the room, walking back into the safety of a broken down ship where the scanner once again switches to “ACTIVE, CLOSED.”

Only then does he realise he’s still holding the little stone. He turns to push the door back open, but it doesn’t budge, leaving Isak to just sigh at it instead.

“Why won’t you open?” he asks the door, then turns to the control panel to see if he’ll get any answers, but as usual, the ship is silent. “Why do you hate me?” he groans next, but still he gets nothing.

His eyes fall back on the tangled cables that he had been pulling out from underneath the control panel before the link had opened again. In search of something better to do than curse out his ship for being useless, he goes back to trying to fix the damn thing while he waits for the chance to give Even the stone back.

There’s a small tap from the door less than a minute later. 

“Hey, thief,” Even’s voice comes. “Can I have the stone back yet? Or are you holding it for ransom in exchange for teeth?”

“Jesus christ!”

Even laughs in response. “Is that a yes?” he asks, just as Isak stands, and moves to push the door open.

“Here,” Isak holds out the stone. “If you try and give me any of your teeth I’ll cry.” 

“Don’t pretend to be the tooth fairy, then.” Even says, taking the stone.

“What was I meant to tell a six year old?”

“How about the truth?” Even raises an eyebrow. “Because to start with, this door doesn’t look like it leads to a  _ house. _ ”

“Fuck,” Isak mutters, moving forwards into Even’s room and shutting the door behind him.

“You can’t exactly hide it from me, you know?” Even says, shaking his head. “I’ve been through the door. I’ve seen it.”

Isak presses his lips together and looks away from Even. “Yeah,”  he says slowly. “How long ago was that, exactly?”

“Two weeks,” says Even. “You know, when you ask shit like this, you don’t exactly do yourself any favours in terms of me believing you’re real. And you don’t help me trust my own brain, either.”

Isak fights with himself for a moment, debating on what to say. He opens and closes his mouth several times before he can come up with a suitable answer. “like I said,” he tries weakly. “It’s a magic door. Time doesn’t exactly - uh - go at the same speed on my side.”

Even simply stares at Isak, and Isak stares back,  a guilty look on his face.

“So,” Even starts. “How long has it been since I went through on your side of the door, then?”

Isak shrugs. “About ten minutes, maybe.”

Even’s eyes widen. “Ten minutes?” Isak nods. “Jeez. Then how long has it been since you came here when I was a kid?”

“A day.”

Even slumps down onto the chair. “So I’m supposed to believe that my closet is some sort of fucking - magic door that leads to - where does it lead?” he looks up at Isak. “And  _ when _ ?”

“I, uh,” Isak is hesitant to tell Even the truth now, in case he dies from shock or something. “I’m not exactly sure  _ where. _ It’s, uh, my ship is-”

“Your  _ ship? _ Are you telling me you have a fucking  _ spaceship _ ?

“Maybe?”

“Ok, this isn’t real,” Even decides, standing up and pacing the room. “This can’t be real.”

He keeps pacing, back and forth across the room drumming his hands against his legs, before he suddenly stops, spins, and stares at Isak intently.

“How do I know you‘re real?”

“Um.”

“How do I know there’s really a spaceship through that door in the year - what fucking year is it there anyway?”

“5665.”

“56 - wait - 566-fucking-5? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Uh, no, I’m not.”

Isak stands awkwardly in front of the door as Even paces back and forth once more, then sits on his bed. 

“You have a spaceship,” Even says, sounded a little dazed. 

“I have a spaceship,” Isak confirms, smirking a little now. 

There’s silence between them again until Even speaks up.

“Can I come with you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok fun times hope u enjoyed hope i didnt disappoint heh


	4. part 4: companion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ummmm its been a while and this suuuuuuucks but enjoy  
> i stole a line from actual doctor who in case ur wondering why it looks familiar  
> but thats the only thing i will steal im not gonna use any dw characters or anything so

Isak’s smile fades as he hears Even’s question.

“Come with me?” he asks. “Why would you want to come with me?”

Even shrugs. “Sounds exciting.”

Isak thinks for a moment. “I guess… it kind of is,” he smiles, then looks away. “But it’s pretty lonely, too.”

He’d forgotten that the musical instrument that Even had made him take back was still in his pocket, until he hears the muffled notes of its mournful song start to play.

“You still have that?” Even asks.

“You gave me it back like half an hour ago,” says Isak. “I didn’t even have chance to take it out of my pocket.”

Neither of them speak for a minute, and Isak takes the instrument out to look at it. “I fucking hate this thing.”

“Is that why you gave it to me?” Even says, raising an amused eyebrow.

“You used to like it,” says Isak. “You used to beg me to make it sing, and then you’d fall asleep to it.”

“Yeah,” nods Even. “I remember.”

“What happened to the cute six year old who used to live here?” Isak jokes, trying to lighten the mood, but Even speaks over him.

“You must be pretty fucking sad,” he says. “If you can get it to sing on demand.”

Isak tries to laugh, and raises his eyebrows. “That’s a conversation for another day,” he tells Even, turning to leave.

“No, wait,” Even says, standing up. “I mean - if you’re lonely, why can’t I come with you? You’d be less lonely, then.”

Isak lets himself consider it for a moment, imagining the possibility of having another human, a _friend_ to share it with. Someone to teach the names of the stars to, someone to watch black holes destroy everything with, someone to show galaxies rebuilding everything with dust and gravity. Someone he can show it all to.

Reality catches up fast.

“The ship’s broken,” he sighs. “And anyway, you’re too young. I wouldn’t let a kid on a broken down spaceship.”

“Broken?” Even asks. “How? And by the way, I’m not a kid.”

Isak ignores the second part. “I don’t know how. I just know I’m stranded in the middle of nowhere with a ship that’s too temperamental to move even an inch.”

“It moved when I was on it,” Even points out.

“Figure of speech,” Isak says, but then considers it. Why had it moved when Even stepped into it? “I have to…” he tails off, deep in thought. “I have to go,” he manages to say.

“Are you sure I can’t come?” Even pleads.

“You’re, what, sixteen?” Isak asks, and Even nods. “It’s not safe. And you have a life here. Don’t give that up.”

Isak turns to go, pulling the door open and looking over to see Even collapsing back onto his bed.

He doesn’t miss the defeated “do I?” that Even mutters out before Isak once again shuts the door on Even’s world.

*

Once he’s back in his ship, he turns to the control panel.

“Do you think I’m fucking lonely?” he asks. “Is that what this is about?”

A green light flickers on and he takes it as a yes.

“So let me go home,” Isak sighs. “Don’t try and make me put a _kid_ on a broken, temperamental spaceship. That’s just not happening.”

The ship makes a sort of mechanical creaking sound, which Isak takes as a grumble.

“Listen,” says Isak. “If you wanted me to trust you with anyone else on this ship, maybe you should work properly.”

The screen reads “ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONAL.”

Isak raises an eyebrow. “Okay. Then take me somewhere. Prove it.”

The scanner flicks from closed to open again.

“I can’t fucking believe you,” Isak mutters. “You’ll work if I let him come with me?” A loud beep, and a green light flickering lets Isak know he’s got it right. “And you’ll let him go home safe?” The ship beeps again, and Isak knows arguing is useless

“Fine. One trip.”

*

He pushes the door to Even’s room open slowly.

“Oh, hey,” Even says absent mindedly from where he’s sitting on his bed, sketchbook in front of him and tongue poking out in concentration. “Don’t know why you’re here. I’m still mad at you for not letting me go with you.”

Isak clears his throat. “Yeah, about that.”

“You’ve changed your mind?” Even asks, face lighting up. It’s pretty hard not to respond with a smile when he sees Even so happy. Soon enough, he switches back to indifference, though, and shrugs.

“You can have one trip.”

Even grins. “Seriously?”

Isak wants to smile again, but rolls his eyes instead. “Yes. One.”

“Where?” Even asks, jumping off the bed excitedly, and knocking his sketchbook to the floor with his eagerness.

“Wherever you want to go,” Isak says. “Just - be sensible about it.”

Even frowns. “What do you mean?”

“We could go _anywhere_. I mean don’t try and make us fly into the sun or something. Science wasn’t lying. It’s fucking hot in there.”

“Did you - did you try and fly into the sun?” Even asks, looking slightly alarmed now.

“I went a bit close, once,” Isak admits, looking away in embarrassment. “In my defence I didn’t think the sun was gonna be created that fast. I just wanted to see what it looked like when it was born.”

“The sun?” Even freezes where he stands. “As in - the _sun?_ ”

“Yeah?”

“But you said you were in the year 5665.”

Isak raises an eyebrow, before he catches on to what Even’s saying. “Yeah. It can travel in time.”

Even seems unable to form words, and Isak feels like being a little dramatic (it’s been a while since he’s had anyone to be dramatic with) so he pulls open the door to the spaceship, and smiles.

“So, Even - all of time and space; everywhere and anywhere; every star that ever was. Where do you want to go?”

With that, he walks backwards into the ship, and waits for Even to follow.

Of course, he isn’t waiting long. There’s around ten seconds between when he speaks and when Even moves to the door after him. sketchbook clasped in one hand, but before stepping through he hesitates for a moment.

“Is it gonna shake again?”

Isak shrugs, feeling slightly reckless. “No idea. Wanna find out?”

Even grins, and steps onto the ship, one hand on the doorframe as he puts his foot down very carefully.

Thankfully, there’s no sudden lurch this time. It’s as if the ship has been expecting it this time, knowing that Even would agree to travel with Isak. What happens instead of a lurch is that the whole ship starts to tremble, shaking as if excited.

When the door is shut behind both of them on the ship, there’s a whole control panel full of flickering lights and beeps.

Isak rolls his eyes. “Chill out,” he tries to tell the ship, but to no avail.

“Does it do that a lot?” Even asks.

“I’ve only ever seen her do it once, and that was when I first found her. I’m pretty sure she’s just excited.”

Even smiles widely, and moves over to the console. “It’s nice to meet you too,” he says.

“Oh, don’t, you’ll set her off,” sighs Isak, but it’s too late. the beeping gets louder, and the lights flicker quickly on and off in a colourful pattern now. Isak shakes his head in exasperation. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“I wanna go…” Even says, tilting his head to the side in thought. “Somewhere with nice views. Like an alien planet, but somewhere I can draw stuff. So I won’t forget it.”

Isak nods, turning towards the screen, which is speeding through countless information pages about different planets. “Slow down, jesus christ,” he says. “Even, come here. Choose one.”

Even watches the screen for a minute. “That one!” he says animatedly. “The orangey one. That looks cool.”

Isak reads off the screen “ZX-117.”

“Creative name.”

“Well I didn’t name them,” laughs Isak. “I don’t really know who did. I guess it was whoever owned this ship before or something. I imagine the locals call it something different.”

“Locals - as in aliens?”

Isak laughs again. “You didn’t think humans were alone in the universe, did you?”

“Well, no, but surely not every planet has aliens?”

“This one does,” he points to the screen, displaying information about the planet. “Intelligent life, but not hostile. Should be fun!”

He turns to look at Even, seeing the worry on his face.

“We don’t have to talk to them,” smiles Isak. “And this planet is pretty used to tourists. The “greatest artist of the universe” lives there. They won’t care about two humans.”

Even presses his lips together. “If you’re sure…”

“You can go home if you want. But I promise I’ll keep you safe, okay?”

Even nods. “Okay.”

“Sweet,” Isak pushes himself away from the console and moves to one of the levers on the opposite wall. “So, do you wanna learn how to fly a temperamental spaceship?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading love chu  
> im on tumblr at evenshands  
> love always xxx

**Author's Note:**

> pls lemme know what u thought!! i live off validation :D  
> im on tumblr @evenshands  
> love always xxx


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